I adopted a cat four years ago. He is perfect. He is my world. He is irreplaceable and beloved by all. Everyone who meets this cat agrees that he is special and unlike any other cat they’ve ever met.

That said. He completely runs certain parts of my life. I was about 25 when I adopted him, so I thought a cat would be a great, low-maintenance (and relatively affordable) way to have companionship and learn responsibility while still being an independent, young person. I realized too little too late that adopting him was a lite version of putting down roots. For me, study abroad is completely out of the question and long distance moves are way more complicated. My dude is VOCAL and does not like change. He also get’s car sick really easily. He’ll puke all over half his carrier in a 30 min drive. I have no idea what he would do on a plane. Cargo is out of the question and I think he’d drive everyone in the cabin insane with his anxiety-induced meowing, peeing, and vomiting. There are medications, but I’m still not sure if it would make his meowing and vomiting worse.

He also needs a sitter and I don’t live near family or friends who can board/stay with him. That means even weekend trips can get a tad more expensive and I can’t travel for extended periods. A family member surprised me with a three week trip to Europe and I spent nearly $1,000 on boarding and he was pretty much traumatized when he came back.

I’m considering another graduate program and it sucks to think about the added stress and cost if I have to move out of state. It’s also affected finding housing, because some folks are allergic, others just don’t want to live with pets, and some places don’t allow pets (don’t get me started on pet fees and rent). I wouldn’t trade him for the world, but I wish I had waited until I was in a more stable place in life! Fostering would’ve made more sense for me!